Are you ever so tired that you barely make it into your bed with zero care of the world? These days all I crave is good soup or hot chocolate, bed and a book. To say ‘I’m exhausted’ is an understatement – delirious is more like it.
Setting goals is crucial, but being realistic is key – I am my own enemy when it comes to being a critic. I’m lenient, appreciating and forgiving to everyone else but myself. Kitchen Therapy blog started as an outlet to tend to my writer’s block dilemma. It’s now my platform, a sort of “office” for potential clients to “see” me. If I don’t post regularly, I’m upset and angry with myself. When I realise I should not be. It’s okay to slow down, take a break, not pick up the phone or return texts. It’s okay to say no if its physically, mentally or emotionally exhausting you. It’s okay to switch off.
So while I take a much needed 10-day break, here’s a scrumptious tea cake – old fashioned, ladled with butter, a burst of fresh orange juice, a layer of cinnamon and oats streusel in the centre, which goes lovingly well with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, ice cream, whipped cream… or just on it’s own.
Enjoy!
Note: see Behind the scenes styling shots on Insta Stories, Highlights: BTS @kitchentherapyindia
The Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup castor sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2-1 tbsp milk (optional)
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200°C and prepare a 9” cake tin with oil and flour.
- Prepare the streusel in a small bowl by stirring all the ingredients together to create a crumb like mixture. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes, before adding the egg and vanilla.
- Beat well for another 5 minutes.
- Add the orange juice, baking powder, baking soda and salt and combine well.
- Then fold in the flour, careful not to overmix. Add ½ or 1 tbsp milk if you like to loosen the batter up slightly.
- Spread half the batter in the cake tin smoothing with a spatula. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Then spread the streusel layer, followed by the remaining cake batter.
- Bake in the oven for 25-28 minutes, or until the skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes after you’ve removed from the oven.
- Then overturn into the serving plate.
- Sprinkle some icing sugar and cinnamon on top.
